


Beauty & the Beast

by emynn (orphan_account)



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Cuddling & Snuggling, Established Relationship, M/M, Romance, Sleep
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-08
Updated: 2014-01-08
Packaged: 2018-01-07 23:32:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 598
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1125683
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/emynn
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Severus and Harry have unexpected bedtime habits.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Beauty & the Beast

**Author's Note:**

> Sometimes when I have trouble falling asleep I think of snarry. This is the result.

Severus is beautiful when he sleeps.

It’s so rare that Harry is able to see it happen. He, after all, can fall asleep sitting in a stiff wooden chair with the telly blaring, while Severus continues to suffer from terrible insomnia, even years after the war. But perhaps that’s why Harry loves witnessing it so much; the rarity of it makes it all that more stunning.

But even if it was a regular sight, Harry knows he’d still love the way Severus’ features softens in sleep, how the lines on his face seem to melt away. He loves the way his inky lashes flutter when he’s lucky enough to catch Severus dreaming, as his mind immediately darts about to a million different scenarios about what could be filling his lover’s mind so late at night.

Harry loves the soft rise and fall of Severus’ chest, the way he seems to turn instinctively towards Harry to bury his head into the crook of his shoulder. Severus is still reserved in his affections during daylight hours, usually allowing Harry to initiate contact, but at night, he seems to crave the intimacy of two lovers embraced in slumber and is unashamed in acting to fulfil his need.

Yes, Severus is certainly beautiful when he sleeps.

~*~

Severus had always thought Harry would be beautiful when he slept. The Chosen One, the Golden Boy of Gryffindor, the Wizarding World’s Most Eligible Bachelor for seven years running until Severus had put a stop that… how could the great Harry Potter be anything but beautiful at his most peaceful hours?

It didn’t take Severus long to realise how very wrong he was.

Harry is, in fact, quite ugly when he sleeps.

His bottom lip juts out in a perpetual pout. His brow furrows, as though he’s concentrating much more intently on his dreams than any of the students’ papers he marks in the evenings. He grunts and growls and sighs, sometimes even punching his pillow or kicking a leg into the air as he struggles to find a comfortable position.

After the initial shock, Severus came to find it rather endearing, so much so that he now calls Harry “my own personal beast.” Harry never understood why, which is why Severus finally agrees to show him a memory of the night before.

Harry is, of course, horrified. “How do you put up with me?” he asks, gazing into the Pensieve to watch himself claw at his bed sheets. “I really do look like a beast. One that’s about to kill you.”

“I don’t know about that,” Severus says. The Harry in the Pensieve, now seemingly comfortable in bed, snorts and reaches for Severus, tugging him close to him in an unmistakable possessive gesture. Severus, still hovering on the brink of sleep, relaxes immediately into his arms. “I rather think you’d kill anybody who’d dare touch me.”

Harry smiles and kisses Severus’ cheek. “I reckon that’s probably true.” After a longer kiss, this time on the lips, he takes Severus’ hand. “To bed?”

~*~

And so they retire for the evening, just as they’ve done for many nights before and as they will for many nights after, two men in love and completely comfortable with their night time routine.

The one who snarls and kicks before reaching for his lover – the one who waits, patiently, for his motions to calm so he can enjoy a peaceful night’s sleep nestled safely in the protective embrace of the one he loves most in the world.

Forever and always, for better and for worse…

The indomitable beauty and the beast.


End file.
